How Should I handle this Situation?

Question

I need some good solid advice for what to do in this situation as it keeps happening to me at this technical, non customer service job.
We have SOP’s (Standard Operating Proceedure – basically directions), we are told to follow the SOP's and in fact make 'mistakes' that the managers bring to our attention if we do not follow these SOP's.
Tonight, I had a situation where I followed an SOP and as soon as I was done I was told by the 'lead', who functions as my supervisor so they only have to have one manager, "You cannot just blindly follow SOP's! You should ask!". I was told this because about a year ago, before I was here, an email came to this person saying to deviate from the SOP. I would not have gotten this email, and the SOP was never updated, there was also no way to know now to follow it. I have been told by managers that I must follow the SOP's, and I have been told by co-workers it is always best to follow SOPs as you cannot get into trouble for it.
So, I cannot follow them without asking, I cannot not follow them, it is not feasable to ask about 300 times a shift if it is ok to do what the SOP says to do.
This happens at least once a week with this person, and I have been at the job less than 3 months. I am basically in a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation and I am not sure, after 15+ years in the corporate world how to handle this particular situation. So - what would you do, aside from finding a better job, in this situation?
I need some advice on how to handle this person when they being talking to me like I am a particularly stupid child who has to have a reminder note to breathe because that is how they speak to me every time this happens and then they get upset because I naturally mirror people (trust me, it is not a good instinct in this case!)

Answer 1

Star, I am attempting to answer this long and unusually complicated question from you, by copying much from the following corporate website:
http://icmr.icfai.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/HROA001.htm

Long, huh, but worth it! "Marriott believed that when employees were taken care of, they would have a special feeling and loyalty towards the company. J W Marriott Jr. was named the Chairman of Marriott International, and his brother Richard Marriott became the Chairman of Host Marriott. With its focus on hotels, Marriott International bought the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the Renaissance Hotel Group in the mid-1990s.
J W Marriott Sr. strongly believed in treating people fairly, working hard, paying close attention to details, and listening to customers and giving them what they wanted: "If your managers can treat your people right and be sincerely interested in them, then you'll be successful. We must be interested in people, all people..our guests, our housekeepers, our frontdesk personnel, our room service waiters, all, all including our most formost managers." For the past several years, Marriott International has repeatedly won several awards for its human resource practices. In addition, leading business magazines like Fortune and Business Week have quoted Marriott as one of the best companies to work for in the US, mainly due to the corporation's reliance upon, and trust in its employees, wanting to do the right, the proper and correct thing, for all concerned.

Mr. J. W. Marriott is one of America's best kept secrets, along with Sam Walton, Walter Bemann... All, Americans who made Gazillions of Dollars, but not on the backs of employees, but with the help and the recognition of the employees along the way.

Maybe your corporation, Star, can improve by using these techniques~ good luck!

Answer 2

Hi,

Sound a typical office politics situation for me. some people like others and hate many...for no good reason. I'd advise you to focus more on your work related stress as it will help you eventually deal with such people. Try this site: skills-guide.com